


Forty Pints

by fieldingfreja (copperheadpony)



Category: Star Stable
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-25 23:43:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14988110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/copperheadpony/pseuds/fieldingfreja
Summary: James decides to spice up tourist life in Fort Pinta by adding a pub to the town, and Roo is the test run.





	Forty Pints

When James got interested in introducing different cuisines to Fort Pinta, Roo knew she would eventually be in trouble. She knew he wanted to make it more welcoming to tourists, and Roo assumed it would just be the occasional different meal served at the café. She was so, so, so wrong.

 

“Hey, did you hear? James is putting in a new restaurant in at Fort!” Alex exclaimed, looking up from her phone. Roo glanced over at the blonde, raising an eyebrow.  
“That sounds interesting, what’s the menu look like?” She asked, moving to turn her head, but Linda tapped her temple, reminding the redhead to keep still as she practiced braiding.

Alex thumbed through her phone, eyebrows furrowing. “Looks like an Irish pub of sorts” She replied. Willow groaned and tossed her tack cleaning project down.

“I give, it’s impossible to get these water stains out of this bridle. Also why Irish? Don’t we get more German tourists then Irish?” Alex shrugged, tapping out a response.

“I mean it’s James, what else is new about his management style?” The three girls murmured in agreement, and the topic was dropped for the afternoon.

 

The sun was casting a yellowy pink glow across the yard when Roo finally trotted back into the courtyard. She patted Ruby’s neck and swung herself off the warmbloods back.

“Another day, another massive pile of chores done,” Roo muttered to her horse, who snorted. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and began walking into her stable. Ruby followed. Roo sent off a rapid-fire text to Linda, and a replied to one from Willow before pulling the tack off Ruby’s back. 

 _“Head off to bed once you finish, you look exhausted,”_ Ruby told her rider. Roo rolled her eyes, hauling the saddle onto a rack on the wall.

“I got this Rub, I’m not that tired.” If horses had eyebrows, Ruby’s would have been to her ears.

 _“Not that tired? We spent the whole day chasing lost sheep”_ Ruby retorted. Roo sighed as she wiped down the saddle and bridle.

“I promise, I’m fine Ruby, you don’t have to mother me,” Her soul horse snorted, clearly offended.

 _“Fine, but when you are late tomorrow morning to your date with Linda, I’m not going to take the blame”_ Roo rolled her eyes and Ruby wandered away to pick a stall for the night.

Roo finished wiping her tack clean and put it away. She did her nightly routine of checking every stall to make sure it was locked. Ruby gave her a sniff before turning her butt to the door as Roo went by. It took Roo another 20 to make sure everything was all set before she felt comfortable closing the stable doors.

“Oh, Roo!! Come on over!!” Roo raised an eyebrow at the waving teen.

“Isn’t it a little late for you James?” She asked, stepping over. James pushed his square frames higher on his nose.

“Alex isn’t here to reprimand me, and neither is Mother. Besides, I have a nightlife here to get going!” He gestured to the new building, light pouring out onto the cobbled street.

“Nightlife in Fort? That will be interesting.” Roo replied, shoving her hands into her pockets.

“It will! Imagine all the revenue it will bring in! I’m trying to convince the security guard to open the dance floor more nights, it will bring so many people in!” James wrung his hands in excitement. “If I’m lucky, I can time that with the newest Raptor single that will drop”

“I’m not the hugest fan of his music,” Roo trailed off, and James waved a hand.

“No worries, I’m trying to get more people to join and play the venue. Maybe we can even get Alex and Lisa to play sometime, I know they do better with Anne, but…” James paused, noticing the pained look on Roo’s face at the mention of Anne.

“But no matter, come on, come see the pub! We stocked the best beer from Ireland and Germany!” James clapped her on the shoulder, and Roo had to wonder when James got so tall.

“Maybe just the one drink,” She replied, and James grinned widely.

“That’s the spirit!!”

  
Willow groaned at the sound of her phone ringing. She waited, hoping it would stop. The ringing stopped, and she sighed, letting her eyes shut again. Then it began ringing again. Alex moaned in her sleep, rolling over.

“The heck is that noise?” She muttered, pulling the pillow to her ears. Willow reached over blindly and grabbed the vibrating phone.

“Hello?” She croaked.

“Hey, Willow right?” James sounded nervous.

“James, why are you calling at...” Willow pulled the phone away from her ear and squinted at the tiny numbers at the top of her jPhone. “1 am?” Alex rolled back over and stared curiously at Willow when she mentioned her brothers’ name.

“You remember that I opened a pub right?” Willow shot right up in bed.

“Yes, what did Roo do?” She demanded, swinging her legs out of bed, already rooting around for her shoes.

“Well I invited her to try the beers here and,” James winced, “She's a bit wasted and I can’t get her to, ROO DON’T TOUCH THAT!” There was a crash and some incoherent whining.

“James?”

“Yeah, sorry she’s a little out of control,” James panted over the phone.

“Out of control how?” Willow narrowed her eyes.

“Well, she’s,” He sighed, “She’s trying to clean the whole of Fort Pinta,” Willow groaned.

“I’m on my way” she hung up and rubbed her eyes. “Here we go again,”

  
  
“Willow!” Roo grinned wildly at her friend, waving a bottle of cleaning spray at her. James was behind her, a giant bucket of supplies in hand. As Roo waved the bottle, he jumped and snatched it out of her hand. Without missing a beat, Roo took a different bottle from the bucket.

“Roo, what are you doing?” Willow swung off her horse Rebel.

“What does it look like, Imma clean up this town. Someone’s got to do it” Roo put her hands on her hips, imitating an old west sheriff. Willow sighed, rubbing a hand over her eyes.

“Roo, how many drinks did you have?” Roo skipped past her, dropping the rag and bottle and picking up a broom.

“Um, one two, ten,” She started counting and pushing the broom across the cobbles. “15, 40” She giggled. “Forty Pints, get it, like Fort Pinta, Forty Pints!” She giggled again and then darted away from James, who growled in annoyance.

“She’s been trying to clean the place since pint #20” James explained. Roo ran for the salon, standing on the steps. Willow had to admit, for 40 pints she was surprised Roo was still on her feet and capable of running.

“Roo, come on, you can clean in the morning” Willow pleaded, holding her hands up. Roo swept the stoop, dust flying in the night air.

“No, because poopy horses wandered all over with their riders and make a mess of the place” She jumped down from the steps, wobbled and then strode to the fountain.

“Okay, so we can hire a janitor to keep an eye on the place, right James?” Willow glared at the teen, who put his hands up.

“Yeah, we can hire a janitor, we can have someone clean the place top to bottom!” He said hastily. Roo dropped the broom in shock.

“You’d really do that? For me?”

James nodded, a grimace on his face. “Yes, anything” Roo darted forward and wrapped her arms around the teen.

“Oh thank you!!” She cried, tears threatening to fall. James motioned to Willow, panic on his face and began mouthing “help me”. Willow chuckled and reached for Roo.

“See, he’s going to fix it, you don’t have to clean, okay?” Roo nodded, pulling away and sniffling.

“okay,” Roo said and wrapped her arms around her. She looked back up and something registered in her eyes. “Willow, where’s Linda?” Willow groaned and pulled her friend's arm over her shoulder.

“She’s in bed, like where you should be”

Roo gasped. “She’s in my bed?” She turned wide eyes to Willow, who paused, then nodded.

“Sure, we’ll go with that” Willow replied, and Roo sighed dreamily.

“Can you take me to bed, I’m tired.” Willow nodded, and they began the slow walk to Roo’s apartment. Thankfully the door was unlocked, and the biggest challenge was trying to get Roo up the stairs.

“Willow, willow I can’t,” Roo clawed at Willow's arm, staring fearfully at the stairs and Willow rolled her eyes.

“It will be fine, just one step at a time,”

“But, but,” Willow was already hauling the drunk girl up the stairs, and Roo complained about every step. They hobbled into her living room, and through the hallway to her room.

“There,” Willow grunted, dropping the redhead onto her bed. Roo blinked at the ceiling and started giggling.

“Willow, there are stars on my ceiling” Willow nodded, pulling Roo’s boots off, and swinging her legs up onto the bed. Roo’s pet fox jumped up onto the bed, sniffing her owner over. Roo giggled, petting the silver-grey fox. “So fluffy,” she muttered. Willow ducked into the bathroom and grabbed a cup of water and a couple Tylenol.

“Take this,” She handed the pills over with the glass of water. Roo stared at the water, then blankly back at Willow.

“Willow I can’t have 41 pints, that’s too much.” Willow rolled her eyes.

“39 pints were too much, I have no idea how you packed that away.”

Roo patted her stomach proudly. “Irish girl, we got tricks.”

“Take your pills Irish girl, and drink the whole thing of water” Roo held out her hand for the pills, and tossed them back, washing them down with the whole cup of water.

“I’m tired now,” Roo announced and Willow snorted.

“I bet you are, go to sleep.” Roo nodded, and then wriggled out of her sweater and her riding pants, leaving her in a tank top and her underwear. Willow reached over and put a trashcan by the bed. Her friend hated puking so she knew it most likely would not happen but just in case. Roo’s fox curled up on the pillow, bright eyes staring at Willow’s. Roo had slipped under her covers and pulled the sheets up to her nose.

“Good night Willow,” She muttered, eyes already closing. Willow nodded, and slowly backed out. She closed the door behind her and made her way back down the stairs and out the door.

Rebel's head shot up as she stepped back into the courtyard, and her Connemara trotted over nickering.

“She’ll be alright girl, I think we need to ban Roo from the pub though,” Willow muttered, swinging back into the saddle. She caught a glimpse of her watch as she settled in. 2:45 am. “She owes me big time Rebel,” Willow muttered, totally exhausted. Her horse nickered in response and Willow steered Rebel towards home and a comfy warm bed.

  



End file.
